[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 150 (Thursday, August 5, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42759-42762]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-20144]
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UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY
Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program; Request for Proposals
SUMMARY: The Office of Citizen Exchanges, Youth Programs Division (E/
PY), of the United States Information Agency's Bureau of Educational
and Cultural Affairs announces an open competition for the Congress-
Bundestag Youth Exchange Program (CBYX). For applicants' information,
on October 1, 1999, the Bureau will become part of the U.S. Department
of State. The integration will not affect the content of this
announcement or nature of the program described. Public and private
non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in IRS
regulation 26 CFR 1.501c may submit proposals to facilitate academic
exchanges between American and German high school students and young
professionals.
Program Information
Overview
The CBYX program supports the exchange of American and German young
people in order to sustain and strengthen German-American friendship
based on common values of democracy and to convey lasting personal and
institutional relationships to the successor generation. The primary
objective of the program is to encourage American and German youth to
learn about each other's society and culture through educational
exchange. Additional goals for this competition include a renewed
effort to promote the participants' roles as young ambassadors and the
impact they can have on US-German relations, and to enhance
Congressional involvement in the program and strengthen the linkages
between US Representatives and their Bundestag counterparts. The
program provides a full scholarship for an academic year experience of
living and studying in the host country. CBYX is administered by the
U.S. Information Agency and the German Bundestag Administrative Office,
PB4. Known in Germany as the Parlamentarisches Patenschafts-Programm
(PPP), the CBYX program was inaugurated in 1983 through a bilateral
agreement between the U.S. Congress and the German Bundestag. Each
government provides funding to exchange organizations through
assistance awards for the costs of participant recruitment and
selection, international airfare, orientation and debriefing, and
hosting support for the respective exchange participants. The U.S.-
German agreement calls for an open grants competition every four years,
and PB4 is holding a simultaneous open competition to select the German
counterpart organizations that will manage the program in Germany. High
school organizations that are successful in this competition will be
awarded start-up grants in FY2000 to administer the recruitment and
selection of participants for academic year 2001-02. Organizations for
each component will be eligible for renewal grants in FY2001, 2002,
2003 and 2004.
The actual number of participants exchanged each year is dependent
on the amount of funding made available by the U.S. Congress and the
German Bundestag. Though Congress has not yet determined the budget
level for FY2000, the competition for program year 2001-02 will be
based on approximately 400 American and approximately 400 German
participants. Throughout the four-year grant cycle, representatives of
both governments will hold annual discussions to determine the final
participant numbers for each academic year. Participants are chosen
according to procedures and criteria established by each government. In
the U.S. the CBYX program has four components.
1. High School Component
This component provides 300 scholarships for a one-year educational
and cultural homestay experience to American high school students ages
15-18. (A reciprocal exchange of approximately 300 American and 300
German high school students will take place annually.) In lieu of the
traditional nationwide high-school participant competition,
organizations are invited to bid on conducting merit-based competitions
in one or more of five designated regions of the United States, as
follows:
Northeast: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode
Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Washington, DC, Delaware, Maryland.
Southeast: Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky,
Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina,
Georgia, Florida, Puerto Rico.
Central States: Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin,
Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska.
Southwest: Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah,
Arizona, Southern California * (* the northern border of this region
includes the counties of Monterey, San Benito, Fresno, and Inyo).
Pacific/Northwest: Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, Idaho,
Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Northern
California * (* the southern border of this region includes the
counties of Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Merced, Madera, and Mono).
Organizations may bid on more than one region, indicating the most
preferred area(s) in priority order. A maximum of five organizations
will be selected to conduct all aspects of the competition in one of
each of the five regions for 60 American participants. Organizations
that are awarded a grant will conduct advertising, recruitment,
processing of applications, screening, selection, pre-departure
orientations and debriefings, and management of all administrative and
logistical matters including domestic and international travel.
In the host country, American and German partner organizations will
coordinate arrival and re-entry orientation for the respective exchange
students, placement of the students in host families and schools
(nationwide), arrange program enrichment activities, conduct the
recruitment, screening, selection and orientation of host families,
provide program monitoring,
[[Page 42760]]
supervision and counseling to students and host families, and manage
all administrative and logistical matters including in-country travel
and health and accident insurance. Organizations should secure all host
family and school placements at least two weeks prior to the German
students' arrival in the U.S. Grantees will be required to submit to
USIA a list of these placements one week prior to the students'
arrival.
2. Vocational Component
This component provides approximately 20 scholarships to graduating
American high-school seniors with a vocational specialization for a
one-year professional study and training experience in their fields of
interest. One organization will be selected to conduct all aspects of
the nationwide competition and programming, including advertising,
recruitment, processing of applications, screening, selection, pre-
departure orientations and debriefings, and management of all
administrative and logistical matters including domestic and
international travel. (During the selection process the grantee is
encouraged to work with vocational educational offices at the state
level, as well as administrators of secondary schools with vocational
education in their curriculum.)
The German partner organization chosen for a grant will coordinate
arrival and re-entry orientation for the students and their placement
in host families and schools, arrange a practicum in the participants'
field of study, arrange program enrichment activities, and conduct the
recruitment, screening, selection and orientation of host families,
provide program monitoring, supervision and counseling to students and
host families, and manage all administrative and logistical matters
including in-country travel and health and accident insurance.
3. Young Professional Component
This component provides approximately 80 scholarships for a one-
year professional study and training experience in business, technical,
vocational and agricultural fields to young Americans, ages 18-24. (A
reciprocal exchange of approximately 80 Americans and 100 Germans will
take place annually.) One organization will be selected to conduct all
aspects of the nationwide competition and programming, including
advertising, recruitment, processing of applications, screening,
selection, pre-departure orientations and debriefings, and management
of all administrative and logistical matters including domestic and
international travel.
In the host country, the American and German partner organizations
will coordinate arrival and re-entry orientation for the students, the
placement of the students in host families (or other suitable living
quarters) and schools (colleges/universities), arrange a practicum in
the participants' field of study, arrange program enrichment
activities, and conduct the recruitment, screening, selection and
orientation of host families, provide program monitoring, supervision
and counseling to students and host families, and management all
administrative and logistical matters including in-country travel and
health and accident insurance.
In the U.S. each German participant will be placed in a two or
four-year college for one semester of full-time study or a minimum of
12 credit hours (which may include an English class) throughout the
academic year. The organization is encouraged to seek tuition waivers
and cost sharing with cooperating colleges. The organization will
coordinate with each participant to assure that his/her practicum is
based on a prospectus of the specific skills and functions that will be
mastered and that there is a structured learning component that enables
the participant to gain a perspective on the overall operation of the
business. The organization will also coordinate a six-week
Congressional internship on Capitol Hill for three to five young
professionals. A stipend for some meals, incidentals and reasonable
local transportation expenses may be included in the budget, but it is
anticipated that the stipend would be substantially reduced or
eliminated during the second half of the program when the participants
receive allowances for living expenses from the firms or agencies
hosting their practicums. The current stipend range is $250 to $300 per
the regional cost of living. Where possible, hosting arrangements
should be found that do not require subsidization.
4. Administrative Component
One organization will be awarded an administrative grant to produce
materials for program advertisement, recruitment and orientation for
the high school component, to set up and maintain an alumni database
for all CBYX participants, and procure and administer a special health
and accident insurance plan required by the German Government for all
German CBYX participants.
The organization will produce program specific informational
materials for the high school component. Each organization selected for
the high school component will distribute the materials to a wide
audience within its appointed region, including public and private
secondary schools, the media, and key networks such as the American
Association of Teachers of German. (Innovative methods of publicizing
the program are welcome, within funding limitations. Organizations are
encouraged to utilize their volunteer networks and alumni to promote
the program.) The organization will coordinate information and input
from the high school organizations for the production of general
briefing and orientation materials for American high school
participants. The organization will set up and maintain a master
database listing of all CBYX participants with a corresponding list of
the Congressional Representatives from whose districts the students are
selected and a similar list of German participants and the
Congressional districts in which they are hosted. The organization will
also be responsible for securing and distributing to all CBYX
organizations the special health and accident insurance for the German
students.
Please see the POGI (Project Objectives, Goals, and Implementation)
for further details and guidance regarding each of the four program
components.
Guidelines
Prior German language skills are not required. The German partner
organizations will provide up to two months of intensive language
training, which is covered by German Government funds, to American
participants upon their arrival in Germany. German participants are
expected to be sufficiently proficient in English and therefore will
not require (but may elect) an English language course as part of their
regular studies. (No USIA grant funding will be provided for English
training under this program.) The pre-departure orientation for
American students and the debriefing for German students should take
place in Washington, DC and include CBYX students only. The Washington
programs, which are designed to introduce the participants to the
federal government and issues in the U.S.-German relationship, may be
subcontracted out by the grantee organizations.
Organizations may include other program elements such as mid-year
enrichment and follow-on activities in their proposals, but should bear
in mind that funding is limited. Mid-year enrichment activities may
include
[[Page 42761]]
informal local or regional gatherings, volunteer community projects,
and volunteer internships in local congressional offices. For follow-on
activities organizations are encouraged to involve former participants
in the organization's alumni activities as well as CBYX-specific
activities by volunteering in various capacities such as promoting the
program in their communities and/or serving on the selection committees
or as local or regional representatives. Organizations should also
utilize their individual web sites and newsletters to track and/or keep
in touch with alumni. To be eligible for consideration in this
competition an organization must:
1. Be legally incorporated and identify a legally incorporated
affiliate in Germany and/or indicate its willingness to be partnered
with a German organization approved by PB4 and USIA.
2. Have a not-for-profit status, as determined by the Internal
Revenue Service; the German affiliate must also be not-for-profit
(gemeinneutzige).
3. Be financially solvent, have a demonstrated track record of
responsible fiscal management and be able to meet the accounting and
reporting requirements for Agency grants.
4. Have a minimum of four years of experience in conducting long-
term exchange programs (of at least nine months duration) between the
United States and Germany.
5. Have well-established volunteer and host family networks to
carry out various aspects of the program; regional representatives must
be situated in such a way to handle expeditiously any problems that
arise regarding host family accommodations, schooling and language
problems, or difficulties concerning internships.
Programs must comply with J-1 visa regulations. Please refer to
Solicitation Package for further information.
Budget Guidelines
Grants awarded to eligible organizations with less than four years
of experience in conducting international exchange programs will be
limited to $60,000.
Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget for the entire
program. There must be a summary budget as well as breakdowns
reflecting both administrative and program budgets. Applicants may
provide separate sub-budgets for each program component, phase,
location, or activity to provide clarification. Costs for U.S. and
German students are to be listed separately. Organizations should be
familiar with grant regulations described in OMB circulars A110, A122,
and A133.
Cost sharing is encouraged. Cost sharing may be in the form of
allowable direct or indirect costs. The grant recipient must maintain
written records to support all allowable costs which are claimed as
being in contribution to cost participation, as well as cost to be paid
by the Federal government. Such records are subject to audit. The basis
for determining the value of cash and in-kind contributions must be in
accordance with OMB Circular A100, Attachment E. Cost Sharing and
Matching should be described in the proposal. In the event the
recipient does not provide the minimum amount of cost sharing as
stipulated in the recipient's budget, the Agency's contribution will be
reduced in proportion to the recipient's contribution. The recipient's
proposal shall include the cost of an audit that: (1) Complies with the
requirements of OMB Circular No. A-133, Audits of Institutions of
Higher Education and Other Nonprofit Institutions; (2) complies with
the requirements of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
(AICPA) Statement of Position (SOP) No. 92-9; and (3) complies with
AICPA Codification of Statements on Auditing Standards AU Section 551,
``Reporting on Information Accompanying the Basic Financial Statements
in Auditor-Submitted Documents,'' where applicable. When USIA is the
largest direct source of Federal financial assistance--i.e. the
cognizant Federal Agency--and indirect costs are charged to Federal
grants, a supplemental schedule of indirect cost computation is
required. The audit costs shall be identified separately for: (1) Audit
of the basic financial statements, and (2) supplemental reports and
schedules required by A-133.
USIA's Office of Inspector General has provided supplemental
guidance for conducting A-133 audits and recovery of related audit
costs in a separate ``Dear Colleague'' letter dated January 24, 1995.
Please refer to the Solicitation Package for complete budget
guidelines and formatting instructions.
Announcement Title and Number
All correspondence with USIA concerning this RFP should reference
the above title and number E/P-00-03.
For Further Information Contact: The Office of Citizen Exchanges,
Youth Programs Division, E/PY, Room 568, U.S. Information Agency, 301
4th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20547, (202) 619-6299, fax: 619-5311 to
request a Solicitation Package. The Solicitation Package contains
detailed award criteria, required application forms, specific budget
instructions, and standard guidelines for proposal preparation. Please
specify USIA Program Officer Shalita Jones on all other inquiries and
correspondence.
Please read the complete Federal Register announcement before
sending inquiries or submitting proposals. Once the RFP deadline has
passed, Agency staff may not discuss this competition with applicants
until the proposal review process has been completed.
To Download a Solicitation Package Via Internet
The entire Solicitation Package may be downloaded from USIA's
website at http://e.usia.gov/education/rfps. Please read all
information before downloading.
Deadline for Proposals
All proposal copies must be received at the U.S. Information Agency
by 5 p.m. Washington, DC time on Friday, September 17, 1999. Faxed
documents will not be accepted at any time. Documents postmarked the
due date but received on a later date will not be accepted. Each
applicant must ensure that the proposals are received by the above
deadline. Applicants must follow all instructions in the Solicitation
Package. The original and 10 copies of the application should be sent
to: U.S. Information Agency, Ref.: E/P-00-3, Office of Grants
Management, E/XE, Room 336, 301 4th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20547.
Applicants must also submit the ``Executive Summary'' and
``Proposal Narrative'' sections of the proposal on a 3.5'' diskette,
formatted for DOS. These documents must be provided in ASCII text (DOS)
format with a maximum line length of 65 characters. USIA will transmit
these files electronically to USIS posts overseas for their review,
with the goal of reducing the time it takes to get posts' comments for
the Agency's grants review process.
Diversity, Freedom and Democracy Guidelines
Pursuant to the Bureau's authorizing legislation, programs must
maintain a non-political character and should be balanced and
representative of the diversity of American political, social, and
cultural life. ``Diversity'' should be interpreted in the broadest
sense and encompass differences including, but not limited to
ethnicity, race gender, religion, geographic location, socio-economic
status, and physical challenges. Applicants are strongly
[[Page 42762]]
encouraged to adhere to the advancement of this principle both in
program administration and in program content. Please refer to the POGI
for specific suggestions on incorporating diversity into the total
proposal.
Year 2000 Compliance Requirement (Y2K Requirement)
The Year 2000 (Y2K) issue is a broad operational and accounting
problem that could potentially prohibit organizations from processing
information in accordance with Federal management and program specific
requirements including data exchange with USIA. The inability to
process information in accordance with Federal Requirements could
result in grantees' being required to return funds that have not been
accounted for properly.
USIA therefore requires all organizations use Y2K compliant systems
including hardware, software, and firmware. Systems must accurately
process data and dates (calculating, comparing and sequencing) both
before and after the beginning of the year 2000 and correctly adjust
for leap years.
Additional information addressing the Y2K issue may be found at the
General Services Administration's Office of Information Technology
website at http://www/itpolicy.gsa.gov.
Review Process
USIA will acknowledge receipt of all proposals and will review them
for technical eligibility. Proposals will be deemed ineligible if they
do not fully adhere to the guidelines stated herein and in the
Solicitation Package. All eligible proposals will be reviewed by the
program office, as well as the USIA area office and the USIA post
overseas, where appropriate. Eligible proposals will be forwarded to
panels of USIA officers for advisory review. Proposals may also be
reviewed by the Office of the General Counsel or by other Agency
elements. Final funding decisions are at the discretion of USIA's
Associate Director for Education and Cultural Affairs. Final technical
authority for assistance awards (grants or cooperative agreements)
resides with the USIA Grants Officer.
Review Criteria
Technically eligible applications will be competitively reviewed
according to their conformance with the objectives and guidelines
stated above and the review criteria stated in the POGI.
Authority
Overall grant making authority for this program is contained in the
Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, Public Law 87-
256, as amended, also known as the Fulbright-Hays Act. The purpose of
the Act is ``to enable the Government of the United States to increase
mutual understanding between the people of other countries * * *; to
strengthen the ties which unite us with other nations by demonstrating
the educational and cultural interests, developments, and achievements
of the people of the United States and other nations * * * and thus to
assist in the development of friendly, sympathetic and peaceful
relations between the United States and the other countries of the
world.'' The funding authority for the program above is provided
through legislation.
Notice
The terms and conditions published in this RFP are binding and may
not be modified by any USIA representative. Explanatory information
provided by the Agency that contradicts published language will not be
binding. Issuance of the RFP does not constitute an award commitment on
the part of the Government. The Agency reserves the right to reduce,
revise, or increase proposal budgets in accordance with the needs of
the program and the availability of funds. Awards made will be subject
to periodic reporting and evaluation requirements.
Notification
All applicants will be notified on the results of the review
process on or before December 31, 1999. Final awards cannot be made
until funds have been appropriated by Congress, allocated and committed
through internal USIA procedures.
Dated: July 30, 1999.
William Kiehl,
Acting Deputy Associate Director for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
[FR Doc. 99-20144 Filed 8-4-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8230-01-M
